Sarah A. Hampson (born May 6, 1958) is a Canadian author, columnist, and journalist. Since 1999, she has been writing for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', a national Canadian newspaper, with her Interview column being nominated for a National Newspaper Award in 2000. Hampson joined ''The Globe and Mail'' as a permanent columnist and has been publishing multiple columns since then, including Generation Ex.

Early life and education

Sarah Hampson was born in 1958 in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. She has four siblings, whose father worked for a multinational company. Her family frequently relocating during her childhood, living in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

as well as in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. In Hampson's memoir ''Happily Ever After Marriage: There's Nothing Like Divorce to Clear the Mind'', she writes that she was close to her paternal and maternal grandmothers during her childhood and adult life. Growing up, Hampson had an interest in reading and writing. One of Hampson's high school friends, stated to her, " u've been talking about wanting to be a writer since you were like 15." Hampson attended

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence, Massachusetts, Florence and ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, graduating in 1979 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. “It’s not that I defined myself as a feminist but as a young woman." Hampson said about her time at Smith College.

Career

Following her graduation in 1979 from Smith College, Hampson worked in advertising as a

copywriter Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. Copywriting is aimed at selling products or services. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to incre ...

and creative director in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, Halifax, and

, as well as working for '' Ted Bates'' advertising firm. In 1990, after the birth of her third son, she left advertising. In 1991, Hampson submitted a writing piece to ''The Global and Mail'' "Facts & Arguments" section, earning her first

byline The byline (or by-line in British English) on a newspaper or magazine article gives the name of the writer of the article. Bylines are commonly placed between the headline and the text of the article, although some magazines (notably '' Reader's ...

. The same here, she wrote a few

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

stories for ''Canadian House and Home'' magazine and ''

Toronto Life ''Toronto Life'' is a monthly magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ''Toronto Life'' also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including ''Real Estate'', ''Stylebook'', ''Eati ...

''. In 1993, Hampson officially started her journalism career. She wrote for ''

'', '' Saturday Night'', ''

Chatelaine Chatelaine may refer to: *Chatelaine (chain), a set of short chains on a belt worn by women and men for carrying keys, thimble and/or sewing kit, etc. * Chatelaine (horse), a racehorse * ''Chatelaine'' (magazine), an English-language Canadian wom ...

'', ''

Report on Business ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it fall ...

'' and ''

Canadian Art Canadian art refers to the visual arts, visual (including painting, photography, and printmaking) as well as plastic arts (such as sculpture) originating from the geographical area of contemporary Canada. Art in Canada is marked by thousands of ...

'', among other publications. She has done interviews with high-profile individuals, some being

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

, NBA basketball player and

Emanuel Sandhu Emanuel Sandhu (born November 18, 1980) is a Canadian figure skater and dancer. He is the 2004 Grand Prix Final champion and a three-time Canadian national champion. Personal life Sandhu was born on November 18, 1980, in Toronto, Ontario, Cana ...

, ''

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...

'' contestant. “People are such interesting beings," Hampson says to ''the Ryerson Review of Journalism'' "there are so many things going on with them—what happened today, what happened yesterday, what they’re here to speak to you about, what their background is, what they’re going to do tomorrow." Hampson has been praised for her work in ''The Global and Mail'', “What sets the interview column apart is Sarah’s willingness to go off-message and take her subject off-message,” says Kevin Siu, editor of the Globe and Mail's Life section, where Hampson’s columns appear. In 2007, Hampson started "Generation Ex", a personal column about social contagion of divorce. She is described as ''The Globe and Mails "divorce expert". Following the popular column, in 2010, Hampson published ''Happily Ever After Marriage'', a memoir about her life and divorce. In 2016, Hampson published ''Dr. Coo Solves The Problem with Pigeons'', a children's

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

Personal life

Sarah has three sons, Nick, Tait, and Luke. After being married for 20 years, she divorced her husband and writes about divorce in her professional life.

Publications

*''Happily Ever After Marriage: There's Nothing Like Divorce to Clear the Mind'', Knopf Canada 2010, *''Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest'' 2018

References

External links

Sarah Hampson official webpage
on ''The Globe and Mail''
Sarah Hampson
on

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Sarah Hampson
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hampson, Sarah Living people The Globe and Mail columnists Writers from Montreal Smith College alumni Canadian women non-fiction writers Canadian copywriters Canadian columnists Canadian women columnists 1958 births